Junko's Climb (People Who Shaped Our World)

Junko's Climb — Elyssa Gavin

Spring 1975. Fourteen members of Japan's Ladies Climbing Club set their sights on the summit of Mount Everest. At the front is Junko Tabei — the woman who founded the club, who fought to be taken seriously in a sport that had spent decades telling her she didn't belong. What follows is a story of extraordinary determination: brutal cold, raging winds, an avalanche, altitude sickness, injury, and a harrowing ice ridge crossing. And then, the summit. In reaching it, Junko became the first woman — and the 36th person — to stand on top of the world.

But the climb on Everest was only part of her story. Small in stature and often ill as a child, Junko spent years navigating climbing clubs that excluded women and a culture that placed limits on what she was allowed to want. She ignored all of it. She trained. She organised. She built something of her own. And she went on to become a passionate advocate for the preservation of mountains and wild places.

As of June 2020, her example has inspired 630 women to follow in her footsteps.

About the Authors: Elyssa Gavin is a picture book author, curriculum editor, and National Board Certified Teacher based in the Kansas City area. She writes stories about characters who defy expectations. HifuMiyo is a Japanese illustrator based in France, originally from Hiroshima, who combines digital techniques with a silkscreen-printing sensibility to create textured, atmospheric illustrations with strong characters and calming environments.